September Webinar
Electron FLASH:
A Deeper Look into the Past and Future of FLASH-RT
8 September 2022, 17:00–18:30 CEST/GMT+2
More information on the topics you can expect and the learning objectives can be found in the webinar programme.
Check out below the interview of Pierre Montay-Gruel to learn interesting facts about his FLASH journey.
Webinar Chair:
Dr. Pierre Montay-Gruel, Belgium
Radiation Oncology, Iridium Netwerk
University of Antwerp
M.Sc. in cancer and radiobiology from University Paris XI and alumni of Ecole Normale Supérieure
Ph.D. on brain and glioblastoma response to FLASH-RT in CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine, supported by the Swiss National Foundation for Science.
Since 2021, group leader of the radiobiology team in GZA. Hospital and Iridium Netwerk, Antwerp Belgium. Main research focus is ultra-high dose rate FLASH radiation therapy and innovative approaches in radiation therapy. Our group focuses on fundamental research to decipher the mechanisms involved in the FLASH effect along with preclinical studies aiming at translating FLASH-RT to the clinics in Antwerp. Our studies involve in vitro and in vivo models to study normal tissue and tumour (breast, skin…) response to ionizing radiation, from the molecular mechanisms to the functional endpoints.
Meet Our Speakers:
Prof. Charles Limoli, USA
Radiation Oncology
University of California, Irvine
The overarching goals of my research program seek to define the mechanisms by which ionizing radiation and chemotherapy exposure disrupt cognitive function. Several processes are hypothesized to be contributory if not causal to cancer treatment associated deficits in cognitive function including: Alterations to the structural integrity of neurons and synaptic proteins, disruptions to the microvascular bed, changes in electrophysiological connectivity, increased inflammatory signaling, elevated microglial activation, reduced myelination and mitochondrial dysfunction. Much of our work is centered on defining the consequences of cancer treatment-induced changes in CNS functionality and in developing pharmacologic, genetic and stem cell-based interventions for resolving these treatment-associated cognitive decrements. More recently, our group has defined some of the beneficial mechanisms of ultra-high-dose rate “FLASH” radiotherapy in the irradiated brain, and has now embarked on a major research program funded by the National Cancer Institute in the United States in collaboration with Drs’ Loo (Stanford), Maxim (Indiana), Spitz (Iowa) and Vozenin (CHUV, Switzerland) on translating this exciting new radiation modality into clinical practice.
Prof. Billy Loo, USA
Radiation Oncology,
Stanford University School of Medicine
Billy W. Loo, Jr., M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Radiation Oncology, a member of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS) in the Department of Radiology, and a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute, in the School of Medicine. He is a physician-scientist Radiation Oncologist and Bioengineer who directs the Thoracic Radiation Oncology Program at Stanford.
His clinical specialties are state-of-the-art radiation therapy for lung/thoracic cancers, including stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) and 4-D image-guided radiation therapy for lung tumors. Dr. Loo is a recognized expert in thoracic cancers serving on multiple national committees (including as writing member, chair, or vice-chair) that publish clinical guidelines on the treatment of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), American College of Radiology (ACR), and American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
His clinical research is in clinical trials and implementation of new treatment techniques for lung cancer, and development of new medical imaging methods for measuring organ function and predicting response to cancer treatment. As part of this work, he leads a clinical and preclinical research program in molecular imaging, particularly using novel PET tracers for tumor hypoxia (EF5), tumor proliferation (FLT), and neuroinflammation (PBR06). He also co-leads clinical trials of novel applications of SABR including treatment of pulmonary emphysema and cardiac arrhythmias.
Since conceiving of a fundamentally new approach to delivering ultra-rapid, ultra-precise radiation therapy, pluridirectional high-energy agile scanning electronic radiotherapy (PHASER), Dr. Loo’s major laboratory research focus has been to co-lead a collaborative effort between the Stanford Cancer Institute and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to develop PHASER into a transformative yet clinically practical technology. This program comprises both technology development and fundamental research on the radiobiology of extremely rapid FLASH radiation therapy to optimize the biological therapeutic index.
Dr. Loo received his MD from University of California, Davis and his PhD in Bioengineering from University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley. He completed his Radiation Oncology residency training at Stanford University. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology in Radiation Oncology.